Through the Mists (Hiatus)
by Isilia Delfore
Summary: Follow Delfore as she continues her adventures. (( Rated T for violence/gore and language. ))
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first time doing something with World of Warcraft, other than play the game. When I met Anduin the first time, it was with these quests that you might recognize in the text. Then later in Panderia, I was charmed by what he did to Sully. So I decided to make a fanfiction with those time periods. His age isn't the canon age for him, and it's not going to be exact either with questlines because I won't add all of them in, but I haven't decided yet. I hope you enjoy this story! I'm having a lot of fun writing it so far. Reviews would be great, since I plan to write my own book someday.**

 _Stormwind Keep- March 7_ _th_ _, 1:00 PM_

"…He will never learn leadership confined to the keep, but I am loath to send him forth without escort. Delfore, your deeds in the wake of this cataclysm are already legendary. You would be an excellent mentor for young Prince Anduin," The king of Stormwind, Varian Wrynn spoke on in a naturally authoritative tone, as expected of the King. However she noted a distinctive softness as well. Most others wouldn't be able to hear it, the King was a hard soldier after all and his title the "Ghost Wolf" was largely justified. Yet, it was there in the latent silver lining of his tone. King Varian cared deeply for his son, but to her he was just a bit paranoid too. There were plenty of reasons to justify that, but considering what she's been through since she started her adventure; one can learn nothing by staying in safety all their life. "Please introduce yourself to him. There is some pressing city business that both of you can attend for me," He finished, looking at her with respectful eye. She turned to face the Prince, whom she saw was at his father's side when she entered the keep. She noticed that the Prince had blonde hair rather than black like his father's, and was around nineteen. He had blue eyes like the King but his were bolder and more like a clear sky. The Prince gave her a kind smile.

"This is great; I never get to talk to Stormwind's rogues. They're always so quiet and secretive… but it's a pleasure to meet you Delfore. It'd be interesting to hear any stories of your adventures if you wish to share them," Prince Anduin spoke, his voice soundly young and frankly inexperienced to her. Yet Delfore smiled, as she picked up a natural sense of curiosity as well.

She chuckled, her smile shifting into a small smirk, "Well, there's a reason for that Prince Anduin. It's a pleasure to meet you, and it's an honor to be escorting you around the city." She gave a half, but very respective bow. She's pretty sure that was the right thing to say, at least in the King's presence. She hadn't stayed in Stormwind on any long occasion since she went off. She straightened herself up right and had noticed the ending of what seemed to be an approving nod from the King. When the King began to speak again indicated that introductions were over, which she was glad of. The quicker she can get this started, the quicker things will go… and the quicker she can get to learning about how Stormwind and the general populace as been doing since she returned from Northrend.

"Excellent, Anduin will learn a lot by shadowing you," The King gave a slight smile, but that soon disappeared as he continued, "Remember, stay within the city's borders. Keep him out of trouble. And above all else…" He paused slightly, letting the gravity of his words deepen with intimidation of the pause, "Guard him with your life." Delfore bit the inside of her cheek, resisting the shiver that tried to crawl down her spine. The king was not kidding about his care of his son… and his paranoia. She gave a nod to the King, making known that she understands the gravity of his words. The King then turned to his son, his expression turning into that of a parent disciplining their child, "Anduin, no adventures! Stay close to Delfore and return to the keep should you see any trouble."

Delfore cast a quick glance at Prince Anduin. She saw the corner of his mouth move slightly, but whether it was to frown or smile was hard to tell. His eyes, as she looked, did show restrain. _Interesting,_ she thought, fighting back a smile form breaking out on her lips. "Yes Father," Prince Anduin replied, nodding affirmatively. _There's not a snowball's chance in hell you'll follow those instructions exactly is there?_ Delfore thought to herself, once against resisting a smile or chuckle. Since Anduin appeared to be nineteen, that meant he's been in more or less this keep his whole life. She suspected that when he did get to leave it, he was under heavy guard. This will be entirely new for the Prince. Her attention was once drawn again to the King as he spoke, his voice aimed towards her, "I am amassing a warfleet to assault Twilight Highlands and bring an end to Deathwing's lackeys. My soldiers are ready but fleet preparations lag behind." He gave a small sigh, a weary one at that, "My men at the docks need some inspiration and motivation. A visit from the Prince here should lift their spirits and remind them of the bright future they're fighting for. Take Prince Anduin to the docks with you and speak with Supply Sergeant Graves. I want Anduin to observe how a natural leader handles the situation." The King paused once again, before adding more, "The city is still reeling from the recent acts of Twilight Hammer, preying on peasant fear and corrupting our most important citizens. We need to find how deeply this conspiracy runs. I've tasked Major Samuelson of Stormwind City Guard to head up an investigation. He's here in the throne room…" The King gave a brief inclination to his right, which Delfore glanced to see the Major a little farther away, who was looking over some papers, probably reports. Her eyes soon went back to the King as he went on, "See if you can assist his efforts."

Delfore waited patiently to see if the King had anything more to say. When nothing was forthcoming she nodded, "Yes, the Prince and I will depart right away then." She saw the King nod and inwardly released a sigh of relief. She never particularly liked having to talk with the King; she didn't know his patience with things and would like to have her head where it belongs. She looked towards Prince Anduin and nods to him that they'll be leaving, "Once I finish speaking to Major Samuelson, we'll depart to Stormwind's docks. Alright?" Once she received a nod from the Prince and strolled over to the Major. Now that royal civilities were out of the way, she could tone down the politeness and relax a little. Her shoulders were set square and she had held herself high, but now her shoulders drooped slightly in a semi-relaxed, semi-ready position and while she still had good posture she walked with a lighter gate. "Major Samuelson," she greeted as she approached him, her voice in its naturally mixed accent, "Is there anything I could do to help you out with your investigation? Perhaps to move it along a bit faster for you?" She felt the Prince's eyes on her and she spoke. She noted how quick he was to start observing, but ignored the feeling of his eyes on her and focused on Major Samuelson.

The Major looked up from the reports as Delfore spoke, nodding more to himself than to the rogue. He scratches his chin absently before looking at Delfore, "Ah yes… My investigations reveal, ah…" He shifts through the reports before continuing, "It's likely that there's trouble brewing among the Stormwind dock workers. Shifty lot. Don't trust 'em." He frowns disapprovingly, making it sincere that he didn't trust the workers. Delfore held an inward sigh, as well as resist an eye roll. "You should go there and shake the place down. Start grilling those longshoremen. That should keep you busy…" His last comment sounded like it was more to himself than to her, which made her slightly suspicious… Yet he may just be busy with the investigation. "Go rout out those Twilight infidels!" He said lastly, nodding and giving her a firm look.

She nodded, "Very well." She then glanced back at the Prince, and gestured for him to follow her as she turns to walk back out of the keep. Truth be told, she didn't quite fancy having to babysit… It would be much easier to get around flying on Wuskan. However she had orders, and she had to follow them. The stone draped walls went by as she continued to walk out of the keep, hearing Prince Anduin's footsteps fall in slightly to her right behind her. It was quiet as they walked down the long hall leading out the front. She noticed guards as they pass give Anduin some type of respectful acknowledgement, whether it is a nod or a "Your Majesty". When they stepped outside, Delfore took in a deep. She reached up and pulled back on her arms to crack out the kinks that had formed and let out her breath in a sigh. "Well, this shall prove interesting," She said, beginning to walk down the steps after she had stretched.

"Interesting how?" The Prince asked behind her, keeping up with her light gate with ease.

"Well, it's not every day I'm tasked with royal escort… and done so via intimidation lined in the message," she replied with a shrug, only glancing back for a moment to see Prince Anduin grimace slightly. That amused her a bit, and she turned her eyes forward again to hide said amusement.

"I wouldn't take it to heart," Prince Anduin replied, the grimace disappearing as he talked, "My father is just… very protective of me."

"It sounds like he's just a tad _too_ protective, correct me if I'm wrong your highness."

There was a pause, and Delfore waited patiently. Their steps clicked on the white stone stairs as they reached the bottom. With a fast pace like this, they'll probably reach the docks in twenty or so minutes. "He has his reasons to be… but maybe so," Prince Anduin finally replied. At least he didn't meet her with anger, but it was interesting to see how he gave a little bit of thought. "Though, he obviously trusts you with being my only escort, so that's something at least," he sounded a little bit relieved though for it, "Yet… you can't be much older than me either!"

By then they were finally out of the ground of the Keep, heading towards the outskirts of the Dwarven District. Delfore turned on her heel, giving the Prince a full on amused smirk. She stretched out her arms from her sides and chuckled, turning back around in a swift and graceful movement as she answered him, "That so? Then, Prince Anduin, how old do you think I am?" It was generally a civil courtesy to not ask one's age… and she suspected that comment came out with little thought.

"Ah…" Prince Anduin paused again, stammering slightly. If she had to guess, he might be slight flushed from embarrassment, but he might have better control of his emotions, so she doesn't know. "Well… If I had to guess… about two years older than me… so twenty-one." He didn't end his statement like a question, wording his reply as carefully as he could as to not insult her.

Delfore let out a small laugh, "Perhaps, perhaps not. That means my assumption about your age was right though. You're not used to this kind of escort are you A- Prince Anduin?" She caught herself quickly, remembering the social courtesies since the person she was escorting was royalty. She chided inwardly at the almost slip of her tongue. She doubts he'll notice.

Prince Anduin sighed slightly, "No, not really. Forgive me, Delfore, if at any point it gets a bit uncomfortable." His tone indicated his sincerity to that statement.

"It's nothing to worry about, you're fine," Delfore assured with a small wave of the hand, "I've been in many kinds of situations."

"Oh?" He prompted. They were close to the Cathedral District, the large white building looming overhead.

"Yes, ranging from strange to downright fucking insane," She replied, avoiding the prompt for the most part. As they entered the courtyard she gestured to the Cathedral, "Rumor has it that you're training to become a priest. Is that true?" She kept the small talk going more to get Prince Anduin comfortable in her presence than anything else. She looked back at him to catch him nodding.

"I am. I'd rather not go into fighting another," He answered tone sincere once again, "There's no need to have so much violence."

Delfore listened closely to his words. He was firm in his opinion; she could tell that by how clearly he answered her. After a moment she nodded once again, the smell of the sea getting stronger. "Wiser point of view than I expected."

"How so?"

"Well," she turned to look at him, a hint of a smirk on her lips, "You use your head, and heart, rather than strength and heart like your father. Less fighting equals more diplomatic solutions, and my favorite, compromises. You definitely have the makings of a leader in you."

"I'm glad to know you think that," he smiled. Anduin had a look of contentment on his face, pleased that Delfore agrees with his view. The docks came into view, the sounds of laborers working the ringing of ships coming and going bringing the place alive. Delfore nodded.

"Well, hopefully I can give you ideas and ways that'll help you grow. Let's see what we can do to help with this investigation, and the preparations for the fleet."


	2. Chapter 2

_Stormwind's Docks- March 7_ _th_ _, 1:50 PM_

"Are you often sent to gather things for people?"

Delfore nodded as she walked up to yet part crate that was snuggled up by some other dock crates. She looked into it to get a better look at it. She shuffled through the parts to check for any imperfections. Finding none, she made a mental note of where this was, planning to come back after she finished interrogating the workers.

"I suppose a hero's work is never done."

She chuckled at that, "Well, Prince Anduin, a hero doesn't always fight, spy, interrogate, or negotiate. Nor do they always save the day. Sometimes it's as simple as getting some things together to help another out." That's when she noticed another dock worker looking in their direction. _Perfect, another target,_ she thought, turning and beginning to walk towards the worker. She's already grilled four other workers and they didn't know anything. Prince Anduin made this known with his comments about her methods… which she's kindly pointed out to be rather humane considering some people would go as far as drawing their weapons. She gave the worker a quick once over. He was a little bit older than her, probably in his late twenties. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and he held himself in a steady manner. As they approached the man, Prince Anduin once again piped in his opinion.

"I still don't believe that these workers know anything Delfore… They seem sincere _about_ not knowing anything."

"You can't get anywhere when it comes to gathering information without consistency, your majesty," Delfore piped back smoothly. While she didn't want to admit it… Prince Anduin had a pretty good point. Of all the workers she's interrogated, none of them showed any signs of lying… And it's pretty hard to show fear and respect for the interrogator and make it look genuine. "Hey, lad!" She barked at the worker, clapping her hands together once to get his attention, "I've got a few questions for you. And it'd be in your best interest to do this the easy way." Her tone was calm, but there was an experienced glint in her eye, just waiting for him to pounce or flee. The worker looked surprised at first, but then his eyes widened in fear. He put up his hands quickly as if to defend himself.

"I-I swear that guy was dead when I found him! I didn't do anything, I swear ma'am!" He shook slightly and spoke in a fast voice.

Delfore paused, her brows knitting together. What was this poor sod talking about? She frowned and shook her head, "Listen, I'm not here for whatever you just said. I need information about the Twilight's Hammer. Now."

The worker looked as confused as she felt. He slowly put down his hands back to his sides, "What-"Another pause before it dawned on him about what she wanted to know, "Oh- Twilight's Hammer? No, I don't know anything that."

Delfore scowled, making her frustration look like anger, "Are you absolutely sure? Because if I find out you lied to me I swear by my blade you're going to have a _very long day_." She let her tone dip in a bit of poison, making the worker take a half step back in fear.

"N-no, I swear by the Light I don't know anything! I swear it!" He cowered a bit, hoping Delfore will go away and leave him in peace.

Delfore's hand clenched into a fist, but before she could make any decision about whether to sock this guy in the jaw or not, she heard Prince Anduin speak up in a calm voice.

"We believe you, and we shall take our leave then. Delfore and I have other matters to attend to," He spoke with a bit of firmness under that calm tone of his. Delfore drew in a deep breath, held it, and then released it slowly before nodding in agreement. Last thing she needed was to go against the Prince's word. The dock worker nodded several times, probably happy that the Prince intervened. He hurried off, probably going to make it look like he's working. She turned quickly on her heel, making her way back towards the crate they found earlier in a fast pace. "Doesn't this feel like a wild goose chase to you? It's clear the workers don't know anything!" Prince Anduin said, lightly jogging to keep pace with Delfore's sudden speed. Meanwhile Delfore didn't respond to the Prince, and more or less ignored him. Not out of spite, even though she was frustrated. It was so she can think. Once they returned to the crate, she took it by its handles and heaved it off the ground with a small grunt. Only then did she speak.

"I don't know, your highness," she spoke firmly, business like, which is something that happens when she's thinking; "I'm certainly getting suspicions though…So you may be right." They soon began to approach a dwarf by the name of Fargo Flintlocke. He's a very tan skinned dwarf with black colored hair and goggles over his eyes. "Oi, Fargo! I got the last crate of part for you," Delfore said, coming up and setting the crate down in front of the dwarf.

"Ah, thank yer lass! Now…" Flintlocke immediately dives half way into the crate, shifting through the parts greedily. Every once in a while he tosses a part over his shoulder. "Where's me powder?" He asked, before grunting in annoyance, "Everything's here but for the powder. I need explosives, man!" He gets out of the crate and gives Delfore a frown, "You tell the King, no powder, no power. I need me kersplosions or I ain't leavin' port."

It was Delfore's turn to frown, why are they missing? Don't they need powder down here when the fleet is being prepared? She nodded to Flintlocke, "You got it, I'll tell him as soon as I can."

"Thank you…"  
"Deflore."

Flint squints (or she thinks he does?), "Delfore? That's a peculiar first name lass."

Delfore smirks, "That's because it's my last name, and I'll see you in a bit about that powder Fargo." With that she gestured to the Prince to follow her and they left Fargo behind. She let out a short huff, looking around the dock. Now what is she going to do? The Prince was probably right about the dock workers not knowing anything… This is getting her nowhere.

"Delfore," Prince Anduin spoke, causing her to stop walking and turn slightly to face him. He had paused but now that her attention was on him he continued, "It almost seems like Samuelson is trying to intentionally waste your time. The dock workers don't know anything. More importantly, explosives are missing from Stormwind Harbor!" He had a look of disapproval about the whole thing, and a frown on his lips as well. This caused Delfore to raise an eyebrow at him. He continued speaking, "You know what I think? I bet Samuelson knows more than what he's letting on. He probably has a lead on Twilight's Hammer and wants all the credit and glory for himself."

 _You seem to be on a good track… Maybe a little naïve though,_ she thought in reply so far. Delfore nodded in both encouragement and to keep him talking. "You may have an idea here that might help us," she said, giving a small shrug, "We're obviously at a dead end here as far as I'm concerned. What, Prince Anduin, do you think we should do?"

"We should peek through his files at the SI:7 headquarters," Prince Anduin smiled a bit, "Take me there and I should be allowed to look at his files and find out what he really knows."

"That's good to see you can think of more ways to help solve a problem," Delfore replied, smiling a bit herself and nodding, "To SI:7 we go then, your majesty."


	3. Chapter 3

_SI:7 Headquarters- March 7_ _th_ _, 2:25 PM_

"This is the place. Samuelson's files should be on the third floor," Anduin said, gesturing towards a set of stairs to their right, "All the way up the spiral staircase."

Delfore nodded, slowing her pace slightly. She's never been in the SI:7 Headquarters before, nor on this side of Stormwind honestly. The inside of the place, as she had expected, was very neat and overall orderly. There were a few agents here and there, but they didn't pay her much mind. More importantly, this looked like the place to gather important information, at least on military terms. She may have to visit this place in the future. "Right… let's go," she replied after her pause, walking towards the staircase with her light gate.

"You've never been here before, have you Delfore?" Prince Anduin asked. She could almost _feel_ the amusement. As they continued up the stairs she shrugged.

"Nope," she replied, deciding to be bluntly straightforward, "To be honest, I'm not in Stormwind long enough to explore the place your majesty." She glanced back, giving another slight shrug, "Serving the Alliance keeps me pretty busy nowadays. Especially with things like the Twilight's Hammer."

"Understandable," Prince Anduin said with a nod, "Don't you ever stop to rest, though? I mean it's not a bad thing you're so devoted to the Alliance, it's actually good to know that you are."

Delfore turned forward once again and gave a small chuckle, shaking her head a bit but not actually replying. By the Light, the Prince does not know how difficult it is. That fact she could be killed at any time by pretty much anything _besides_ the Horde… she's still surprised she could sleep. They reached the top of the staircase and she stepped to the side to allow the Prince to pass. "Here we are. This won't attract much attention will it?"

Prince Anduin shook his head as he passed Delfore and headed towards a cabinet, "It shouldn't. Nobody here will question it if the Prince wants to glance through some files." After opening and looking through the cabinet, Prince Anduin took out a stack of files and began to shift through them. "Hmm…" He continues to shift through them, Delfore catching his expression turning into that of a bemused one. She was about to ask him if everything was alright, but before she could he spoke, "This is all wrong. There's nothing here about Twilight's Hammer. What is Samuelson playing at?" He half turned back towards Delfore, before looking up with a confused expression. However, Delfore did notice that he was also trying to think, to figure out the problem. "This is really suspicious, Delfore! Samuelson doesn't have a shred of info here about the Twilight's Hammer- it's almost like he's not investigating them," he glanced down at the files for a moment before looking back up at her, "Yet he's got a complete catalog of the missing explosives." He turned once more to the cabinet, setting the paper files back and reaching in to grab something else out, "And I found this funny badge with a symbol on it: A crossed axe and hammer. It all means something, but what?" He turned to go up to her and hand her the badge to look at.

Meanwhile Delfore kept silent as she listened to the Prince speak. She kept her face carefully composed, but she was just as, if not more, suspicious as the Prince. She found it very peculiar that Samuelson had _nothing_ on the Twilight's Hammer, even though King Varian tasked him with the investigation. She turned the badge over in her hands, finding the back solid and blank. Flipping it back over, she traced her fingers over the symbol. It was expertly crafted, and seems very authentic. "To be frank, your majesty," she started, looking up at him as she handed the badge back over to him, "This discovery makes me very suspicious of treason." She spoke in a firm, low tone, with her expression holding seriousness in their features. Prince Anduin frowned slightly, before shaking his head in denial. She felt herself heave a heavy sigh inside, knowing what he's going to say before he even spoke. Before he could she held up a hand to stop him, "It's not an easy thing to grasp, no. He may not be a traitor. I may be wrong. But this is why there's _investigating_ , to find out the truth. Obviously there isn't enough information to make an accusation… But it's certainly something that we can go off on."

There was a small pause, before Prince Anduin gave a small nod of understanding, "You make a good point. At least there's a lead." Another pause before he continued, "I'm not quite ready to go back to the keep yet. Would you like to help me with something?"After receiving a nod from Delfore he continued, "Recently some of the local farmers were petitioning to the King about some missing livestock. My father promised someone would investigate, but the city guard is stretched so thin it'll take weeks. I thought I would help! It'll encourage the farmers to see someone take action, especially from the royal family. Besides, it's just some missing cows. Nothing dangerous." He stopped talking to take a breather and see if Delfore would have any input.

Delfore crossed her arms over her chest, thinking a moment. She then shrugged, dropping her arms to her sides, "I suppose it won't be dangerous at all. Sounds fine to me."

The Prince gave Delfore a smile, "Take me to Farmer Wollerton here in the city."

* * *

It took them almost half an hour to walk from the SI:7 Headquarters to just outside of Farmer Wollerton's farm. Delfore was still very suspicious about Samuelson not having anything on Twilight's Hammer, but kept her thoughts away from the Prince. She didn't want to debate with Prince Anduin about whether or not what they found means what she suspects, or if Samuelson just started finding things for the investigation, or if the Major was just plain stupid. She did however, guided him through mostly back streets, avoiding main roads as much as possible. While she knew the chance of something happening would be next to none, her gut feeling guided her own instinct. She tended to trust her emotions, and so naturally followed them. They spoke somewhat on the trip, mainly the Prince asking her questions about her travels and experiences throughout the Eastern Kingdoms, Kalidmor, Outland, and Northrend. She answered to the best of her ability, most of which was hard to recall with how quickly she moved from place to place. She also kept some details vague from the Prince, not to apt in sharing those personal experiences or for the sake of the people she met. The subjects went all over the place, but, the last thing she expected him to ask about was her name.

"Delfore is actually your last name, not, perhaps, an alias?" He asked, Wollerton's Farm at the end of the small path they traveled on.

"…Yes, it is my last name. I don't have an alias, at least not one I gave myself."

"Then, if I may…" The Prince paused, unsure for a moment before continuing, "What is your first name?"

Delfore slowed her pace so she was walking beside the Prince, before giving him a look that was both amused but hesitant. She threw on a smile, "Why would you like to know it, your highness?"

That made the Prince pause again. She could tell that he was trying to think of a response to her statement. She wondered why the sudden interest, but made sure to keep it from showing on her face. "Well," he started, "I'd like to know so I may address you properly."

"With all due respect Prince Anduin," she replied in a smooth tone, "My last name Delfore is proper enough. I don't give out my first name to just anyone… not even royalty. Even your father, the King, doesn't know it."

"Alright… fair enough," he replied. She glanced at his face and noticed the slight frown… so she thinks it might come up later. It won't matter, she doubts she'll see him again, at least on a regular basis (which, to be honest, it every few months to her).

As they came up to the homestead, an older man was outside watching some livestock from his house. She assumed with was Farmer Wollerton. When the farmer noticed their approach, she could see his eyes widen in shock. That made a smile twitch on her lips, the poor man probably wasn't expecting a royal visit. She saw him hastily, and rather clumsily, get on one knee before speaking in a shocked stutter, "Y-your highness!"

"Hello Farmer Wollerton," The Prince greeted in a friendly manor, "We're here to investigate the missing livestock for you; from the petition that was given to my father."

Delfore watched as the farmer tries to pull himself together, clumsily getting up and brushing the dust off of his pants. "Cows? You're asking about the missing livestock?" The farmer asked, in which Prince Anduin patiently nodded. The farmer nodded to himself, reassured that's why they're here. Delfore noticed how tense the farmer was, and how he only slightly relaxed. "I normally just let the cows graze north of the house here. Occasionally one gets spirited away… leaves a trail of gore," The farmer grimaced in disgust and a bit of horror, "Who would do such a thing? I'm… I'm afraid to follow that trail myself… something sick is happening in Stormwind!"

"Don't worry, we'll go take a look for you," the Prince replied, which then the farmer thanked him ceaselessly. Delfore stayed quiet, having not said a word since they came up upon the farmer. She let Prince Anduin take the lead and didn't influence anything he did or said. From what she gathered from this experience, Anduin indeed has great potential for being a leader. He's a quick learner, patient, and he's able to piece things together. The Prince looked over at Delfore, gesturing to her to follow. She nodded and they soon began to head towards the direction north of the house. Delfore waited until she was sure they were out of earshot of the farmer before speaking in a low voice, "A trail of gore? Definitely seems like animal sacrifice."

"I agree, but who would do that and why?"

"Well, that's why we're here isn't it? To find out," Delfore replied, taking a look around. She smelled it first, making her grimace slightly in disgust, before she saw the bloody trail of animal bits. It led up northeast from the place the farmer said he let his cows graze. "Well, that trail was easy enough to find," she said, glancing at the Prince to catch him nodding in agreement. They both started going towards the trail, following the dead meat on the ground. Delfore noticed the mist as they continued to follow up, and it made her a little tense. The mist didn't feel natural.

"What is this place?" Prince Anduin asked, his face twisting in disgust, "Ugh… and that smell…" They continued on, before reaching what was a used altar. In the heart of the mist was where the altar was located. It was probably white, but now it was heavily stained with blood. The source of the rotting, smell of death came from the altar. "Some sorts of rituals were performed at this altar… It looks like a kind of pagan initiation ritual that Velen once told me about. Bloody, disgusting," Prince Anduin turned back towards Delfore, who had stayed behind him. "Who do you think-" He cut himself off, and was silent.

Delfore tensed and frowned at the Prince, "What's-"

"Delfore! Behind you!" Prince Anduin shouted, looking past Delfore into the mist. He raised his hand and quickly muttered a spell, a golden shield enveloping him.

Delfore reacted without a thought, grabbing her dagger out of its sheath and bringing it up in a guard stance. It was impeccable timing; she only barely managed to parry the blade of the attacker. Delfore quickly sidestepped, unsheathing her sword next before charging the attacker. She went and took a jab at them, only to have it blocked. She saw this chance and came up close, slashing the attacker across their left side. The attacker let out a cry of pain and anger and she knew she got passed the armor. She back stepped and whirled her sword in her hand deftly.

"Look out- there's more!"

"Damnit-" She cursed, seeing two more attackers joining, the first one charging her out of anger. The first attacker swung their sword at her, and she ducked to avoid the wide swing. She has to make this quick- especially now that there are three of them. She came once again up to the first attacker and slashed at his throat. She felt her blade dig into his skin and the blood well out. The attacker's eyes widened and he started to make gurgling sounds once he realized what she did. Delfore kicked the man away with her foot before turning to the last two attackers. "They're Twilight Hammer cultists!" Delfore said quickly towards Prince Anduin, "This ambush was planned!" She had noticed the Twilight's Hammer symbol on the armor of the first man she killed. The other two cultists, another man and woman, didn't attack right away. Delfore sized them up in this brief lapse, seeing the man carried an axe and the woman carried two daggers. Both wore light armor- which made things easier however it was still two to one… Anduin can't fight. The man was the first to go after Delfore, coming up with the quickness and skill as a trained axe man. Delfore parried his swing with her dagger and tried slashing his side. Her blade grazed against the man's armor. The woman soon joined and tried to get behind Delfore.

"I can't hold up this shield much longer!" Prince Anduin said in harder tone than usual, one formed from the strain he was putting on himself.

"I'm working on it!" Delfore shouted back at him. She gripped her dagger and sword tightly in her hands and spun. This made the cultists back up, the woman yelping in pain when Delfore grazed her arm. Delfore used that momentum from her spin to attack the woman. She deflected the woman's blades with her sword. She flipped her dagger in her hand and it found its way home to the woman's heart. She felt the woman stiffen then go limp. She yanked hard, pulling the dagger free.

"Delfore!"

Delfore turned just in time to see the man taking a swing at her. She parried it with her sword but hissed in pain at the uncomfortable angle she had strained on her wrist. She held her ground, turning to fully face the man. He backed up before taking a small charge, keeping his weapon at a defensive position. She stood her ground, waiting. Then in fluid grace, she dodged the man at the last possible moment. This caught him off guard, since he assumed she would continue to hold her ground. As he slowed himself he turned, only to be met with Delfore's sword and dagger. He crumpled into a heap, a slash across his gut and stab wound across his neck draining the dead man's blood out onto the grass. Delfore's breathing was a bit labored; taking three on at once from an ambush wasn't easy. She looked around, alert now. She didn't see, or hear, anymore cultists coming.

"Delfore, you did it- that was a close one!" She heard Prince Anduin say, making her turn half way to face him, "I can't believe you stood your ground against so many at once."

"I've… had a lot of practice," Delfore replied a bit lamely, shaking her head to try to rid herself of her adrenaline. Her racy thoughts soon slowed, and she took in deep breath and exhaled. She looked towards the altar, "Well, at least we know who this altar belongs to."

Prince Anduin nodded, before going up to the altar, "I agree, it's some kind of twisted initiation ritual for Twilight's Hammer. So that means they're definitely active in Stormwind… What's this?" He goes and picks up something from the altar, pausing to look at it. He then turns to Delfore, taking out the badge he had gotten from Samuelson's files. In his other hand was an identical badge. His expression was serious, "This can't be a coincidence… I think you were right, Samuelson is up to something… but we need a smoking gun before we can accuse one of my father's most trusted guards." He goes up to Delfore, handing her the badges, "There's only one person I trust to sort this all out: Mathias Shaw, the director of SI:7. Show him these badges and see what he thinks. Meanwhile, I'll go back to the keep and watch Samuelson like a hawk!"

Delfore took the badges and pocketed them into one of pouches, "I'll get these to Shaw ASAP, your majesty."

Prince Anduin nodded, ebfore starting to walk away and head back to the keep. She saw him paused of a moment, before turning his head back and saying, "Hey Delfore, we don't have to tell my father about that little ambush. If he finds out about an attempt on my life… he'd never let me out of that keep."

Delfore smirked and chuckled a little, before nodding, "He won't know your majesty."


	4. Update Schedule!

**THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!**

I finally have an uodate schedule figured out! I wanted to make one for awhile, so I can really get started on my stories and finish them, but I'm going to be moving soon so I hadn't had much time for anything. Well anyway, here's the schedule! It starts the first week of August!

The first and third weeks of every month I plan on updating my stories. Now I may not be able to update all the time, but I will try to let you readers know if I won't be updating for any reason.

 **Mondays:** Agent Virginia

 **Wednesdays:** A Few Tricks

 **Fridays:** Through the Mists

 **Saturdays:** Double Life

Thank you for taking the time to read my stories, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy them for the future!


	5. Chapter 4

_Wollerston Farmstead- March 7_ _th_ _, 2:30 PM_

Delfore watched the Prince bring out a rune stone, and in moments he disappeared in a flash of blue light. She paused, before drawing out a long sigh. She looks over at the dead bodies of the cultists; debating on searching the bodies for anything worth the trouble it was fighting them. Taking a few minutes, she finally decides to rifle through the pockets of the dead and producing about seventy-nine silvers from the three of them. She sighed again but shrugged, "I'm seventy-nine silvers richer then I was ten minutes ago at least." She pocketed the coins in her coin purse, and stood up straight. She should probably tell someone about the bodies… but that might give whomever is doing this an opportunity to escape should they catch wind quickly enough. So, she walked away from the bodies and the bloody alter. They always said ignorance is bliss, right?

Once she was well enough away from the bloody massacre, she rummaged through one of her pouches and produces a small stone. It was dark blue with glowing purple runes on it. She muttered an incantation, and the stone suddenly got bright and starts to produce a loud melodic whistle. Within five minutes, appeared an azure drake flying down towards her.

"Wow, you got here faster than last time," she said to the drake once it landed, giving a small smirk.

"It's not exactly hard to navigate this city, Delfore," The drake replied with a gritty male voice and a huff of a sigh, "Where are we off to this time?"

"No, it really isn't it Wuskan?" She replied, walking over to the side of the azure drake. She grabbed the saddle, and hoisted herself up with a grunt. "We, my friend, are going to the SI:7 Headquarters. I need to talk to Mathias Shaw. Well, the prince asked me to talk to him."

"Ah, lovely, another errand as a messenger," Wuskan said with a sigh, spreading his wings and hoisting himself up in the air with a huge gust of wind. "You may have to direct me a little, since I am not sure where the SI:7 Headquarters is Delfore."

"It's fine. Head towards Old Town, and I'll guide you from there. Also, wait for me outside okay?" Delfore said, taking a deep of air when they were up in the sky. Even if the license to fly in Stormwind was way more expensive than it should've been, well worth it to be up in the air.

Delfore once again walked through the door of the SI:7 Headquarters, but not with the prince. She walked in more slowly, taking in the sights with an even more critical eye than she had before. She did so because she wanted to for future use, but also, she was trying to find Mathias Shaw. She's heard of the man many times and has seen him a few. So, it didn't take her long to find him looking over a large table filled with maps.

"Mathias Shaw?" She asked as she came up to him, can never be too cautious. She rummaged in her pouches for the badges, holding them in her hand when she stood close enough.

"Yes?" The man responded, looking up with a slightly disgruntled look at having been disrupted. He rose a brow when Delfore held out the badges, but recognizing Delfore. "Oh Delfore, what's this you brought me?" He asked, taking the badges and inspecting them.

"Twilight Hammer badges. The Prince and I were investigating a cow problem at the Wollerston Farm… and found an altar. We were ambushed shortly after, but I had taken care of them. That badge was on the altar," she explained plainly. There was no way to she could spin it, most people probably wouldn't have believed it anyway. 

Mathias Shaw however, proved to be different from the average person. He looked at her with a little surprised, then shook his head, "Anduin has been investigating Twilight's Hammer? Weren't you supposed to keep him OUT of trouble Delfore?" He went to inspect the badges again. After a few moments he speaks, "I recognize the symbol on these badges from before Deathwing's attack on the city. It belonged to soldiers in the old barracks, west of town overlooking the harbor." He sets the badges down and leans against the table, pointing to a map of the city where the Old Barracks used to be before Deathwing decided it didn't need to BE anymore. "Your timing couldn't be better. One of my top agents, Jack Bauden, has been trying to infiltrate the Twilight's Hammer cult for me. Last night he went missing. If you and Anduin are right, the cultists are holed up in the old barracks. Time is urgent! Assault the old barracks, take out those cultists, and rescue Jack Bauden."

Delfore smiled, finally something a little more her speed. "Yes sir, consider it done."


End file.
